STANDARD the

MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF THE BUILDING CODES AND STANDARDS DIVISION

MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATION • 408 METRO SQUARE BUILDING
121 7TH PLACE EAST • ST. PAUL MN 55101 • VOL. 1, NO. 10
State Building Official Tom Joachim
assumes presidency of national group
S
tate Building Official Tom Joachim
has become president of the Nation-
al Conference of States of Building
Codes and Standards (NCSBCS). He
assumed his duties at the close of the
conference’s 35th annual conference and
national forum on “Building Smarter in the
Digital Age” in October in
Louisville, Ky.
Tom has been Minne-
sota’s state building official
since 1992 and a member
of the Department of
Administration’s Building
TOM JOACHIM Codes and Standards
Division since 1983.
He was previously vice president of the
conference and has been a Minnesota
HAPPYNEW
JANUARY 2003 YEAR !
B.O.
certification
exams at U’s
delegate since 1991. He was elected by
his colleagues in June.
annual school
S
The NCSBCS is an organization
of professionals “working through tate building official
cooperative efforts to enhance
certification exams
health, safety, welfare, and economic
development by promoting quality and
will be given Friday,
innovation in the building environment Jan. 17, 2003, from 7 a.m. to
through technical services, education, Noon at the annual Building
and training.” Official Institute at the
As president, Tom said the theme University of Minnesota’s
for his two-year term of office is “to St. Paul campus.
help strengthen the nation – providing For information or to
leadership and services to the code
register, call Mike Fricke
enforcement and construction commu-
at (651) 205-4802 or Rich
nities to enhance public safety and
Lockrem at (651) 205-4803.
Presidency Page 5

Manufactured homes advisory committee being formed

A
t this time, the Minnesota Building
Codes and Standards Division will
begin to review state laws and rules
for manufactured housing.
The National Manufactured Housing
Construction and Safety Act, amended
in 2000, requires states participating in
the Department of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD) manufactured home
Minnesota Building Codes
Prospective members and Standards Division consumer
should apply this month complaint investigations have also
indicated a need for review of license
and bonding requirements for sales of
programs to review current state laws and manufactured homes within the state
rules for manufactured housing to ensure of Minnesota.
compliance with changes to the act before
Dec. 31, 2005. Advisory committee Page 5

The 47th Annual Institute for Building Officials is Jan. 9 through 17 at the Earle
Brown Continuing Education Center on the University of Minnesota’s St. Paul Campus.
Codes Council decides to explore
broader state code administration
T
he Construction Codes Advisory Council at its October
meeting decided to explore the benefits to consumers
and builders relating to phased-in inspection. The
council voted to work on a strategic proposal during 2003 to
present to the 2004 Legislature. In general, any city, county,
or township could adopt the code under this plan, except that a
county could adopt it only in unincorporated areas.
4. Costs of the inspection and administration of the building
code should be covered by a fee-for-service process.
5. A local unit of government should be allowed to charge
and collect a fee for up to one year before full implementation
of the program, in order to provide funds to initiate
administration of the building code.

Other council business

The council’s Statewide Code Adoption Technical Advisory
Group’s plan included the following recommendations:
1. A minimum building standard should be established
statewide in Minnesota and it should be the Minnesota State
Building Code, including provisions on design criteria.
2. The building code should be administered in counties
with greater than 10,000 population and in cities with a
population of 2,500 or more. Counties and cities under the
population limits should determine whether to administer the
code.
3. The building code should be administered through local
or state inspection programs.
In other business, the council received correspondence
from the Board of Electricity requesting that a member of
the board and an electrical contractor be added to the list of
representatives on the council.
Council chair Dean Newins announced his resignation
because he accepted a position on the East Coast. Roger
Larson, a registered architect, will fill his membership position
for the balance of the year. Vice chair Tom Joachim will chair
the meetings through the end of Newin’s term.

Building Codes and Standards Division staff and management

will speak at U’s Annual School for building officials in January
B
uilding Codes and Standards
Division staff will again be part
of the curriculum at the U of
M’s Annual Building Officials School.
Here’s the program:
Manufactured Housing/Plumbing
– Tuesday, Jan. 14, 3 - 4:30 p.m.
– Randy Vogt.
Overview of 2000 International
Mechanical Code and Minnesota
Amendments – Wednesday, Jan.
15, 8:30 a.m. - Noon – Tim Manz.
2 too, if they’re digital.
State of the State Codes (General
Assembly) – Wednesday, Jan. 15,
8:30 - 10 a.m. – State Building
Official Tom Joachim and others.
Accessibility – Wednesday, Jan. 15, 8:30
a.m. - Noon – Curt Wiehle.
Manufactured Buildings – Wednesday,
Jan. 15, 8:30 a.m. - Noon – Randy
Vogt.
Townhouses in the International
Residential Code – Friday, Jan. 17,
8:30 - Noon – Peter Kulczyk.
International Residential Code – Friday,
Jan. 17, 1 - 4:30 p.m. – Rich Lockrem
and Mike Fricke.
GOT NEWS?
WE’LL BE HAPPY to consider
publishing your building code-
related news. Send it to Mary
Williams via fax (651) 297-1973
or e-mail mary.williams@state.
mn.us. We’ll consider photos,
Form, instructions mailed for
annual report on building fees
T
he 2001 State Legislature passed a law requiring all Minnesota
municipalities to report the construction and development-related fees
they collected from developers, builders, and subcontractors in the
previous year.
The Building Codes and Standards Division
formed a committee of representatives from the
League of Minnesota Cities, Builders Association,
municipal community development and finance
officers, local building officials, and division staff.
This committee drafted a form to use to make the
report.
State Building Official Tom Joachim
mailed a packet containing the new form and its
instructions to all municipal administrators and
clerks in December.
The first report will cover Jan. 1 through Dec.
31, 2002, and is due to the division by April 1,
2003. The form can be copied from an enclosed THE FORM THE INSTRUCTIONS, PAGE 1
form or printed from the Building Codes and
Standards Web site, www.admin.state.mn.us/buildingcodes (click on “Forms,”
then click on “Municipal Development Fees and Expenses Annual Report”).
The form can be faxed or mailed.
• Fax the form to the division at:
(651) 297-1973 or
• mail the form to:
Building Codes and Standards Division
408 Metro Square Building
121 7th Place East, St. Paul 55101-2181

Questions about filling out the form should be directed to one of these
division staff members: THE INSTRUCTIONS, PAGE 2

Mike Fricke Rich Lockrem

(651) 205-4802 (651) 205-4803
mike.fricke@state.mn.us rich.lockrem@state.mn.us

Mike Godfrey
(651) 296-2922
michael.godfrey@state.mn.us

3
 2003 Manufactured Structures Manufactured
Seminar Agenda Structures
7:30 a.m. Registration
announces
8 a.m. General issues 2003 seminars
T
Update HUD rule changes
he Manufactured Structures
Update MBCD Section of the Building
Codes and Standards
8:30 a.m. On-site issues Division has drawn up its schedule
for 2003 seminars. The division
• Site preparation/foundations/footings will conduct the seminars in seven
• Home installation (codes and manufacturer’s locations on seven days in April.
The agenda for each seminar is
instructions) published in the box to the left.
• Connections (insulation, vapor barrier, ridge Here’s the schedule:
cap, electrical, structural connections, plumbing, Tuesday, April 1: Holiday Inn,
mechanical, gas, DWV, water) Austin
Thursday, April 3: AmericInn,
• On-site testing (gas, electric, mechanical, water, Marshall
DWV)
Tuesday, April 8: Holiday Inn,
• On-site permits/inspections Burnsville

• On-site stairs, decks, additions, alterations Thursday, April 10: Holiday Inn,
Detroit Lakes
10 a.m. Break Tuesday, April 15: Holiday Inn,
10:15 a.m. On-site issues continued St. Cloud

Noon Lunch Tuesday, April 22: Holiday Inn,

Duluth
1 p.m. Alternate construction (AC letters) Thursday, April 24: Best Western
• Identification of units Inn, Maplewood
For more information or to
• Responsibilities – manufacturer/dealer/installer/ register, call Cindy Jackson at
IPIA (651) 296-4628, fax her at
(651) 297-1973, e-mail her at
• Inspections and reports cindy.jackson@state.mn.us,
• On-site completion/testing or write to her at the division
offices.
2:30 p.m. Break The seminar will cost $35 per
person and will include lunch.
2:45 p.m. Manufacturer/dealer record keeping/reporting
(licensing requirements)
3:30 p.m. Dispute resolution/consumer complaint handling
(federal and state)
4:30 p.m. Adjourn
 Advisory committee
Continued from Page 1
The Building Codes and Standards
Division will begin review of federal and
state laws and rules for suggested changes
to ensure compliance and assure consumer
protection to the public of the state of
Minnesota. Therefore, the division is
assembling a manufactured home advisory
committee to review and comment on
items of concern to manufactured home
•

•
1 representative of the Minnesota
Department of Commerce
2 building code representatives from
the Department of Administration
2 municipal building officials

It is anticipated that the committee

installation and sales laws and rules.
The advisory committee will report its
recommendations to Minnesota State
Building Official Tom Joachim, who will
determine the actions to be taken.
The committee will have 17 members:
• 2 licensed manufactured home
installers
• 2 consumers representing consumer
groups
• 2 licensed manufactured home dealers
• 1 licensed general contractor
• 1 representative from the League of
Minnesota Cities
• 1 representative from the Association
of Minnesota Counties
• 2 licensed manufacturer’s
representatives
• 1 representative of the Minnesota
Manufactured Housing Association
will meet for four hours approximately
SHORTS
CONGRATULATIONS to the state’s
recently designated building
officials:
• Ernest G. Aden – City of Apple
every three months at the division’s St.
Valley
Paul offices. Each committee member
may be required to commit non- • Nancy J. Scott – St. Joseph
meeting time for law or rule review Township, City of Avon, City of
and research for items to be discussed
at the meetings. Committee members
Ronneby, and City of Royalton
will receive copies of current federal • David E. Barnes – City of
and state regulations to be reviewed for
Cannon Falls
possible changes.
If you are interested in volunteering • David Neisen – City of Frazee
to serve on this committee, you may and City of Perham
obtain Manufactured Home Advisory
Committee member applications and • Russ Wahl – City of Inver Grove
further information from Cindy Jackson Heights
at (651) 296-4628 (voice), (651) 297-
• Duane Stensland – West
1973 (fax), cindy.jackson@state.mn.
us (e-mail), or at the division offices. Lakeland Township
Applications must be submitted to the
division on or before Feb. 1, 2003. • Paul Berg – City of Dundas
If interested parties’ responses • Ken Lewis – City of Farmington
exceed the number of available
positions, not all applicants will be
chosen to serve on the committee.

Presidency • expand the Industrialized Buildings

Continued from Page 1
economic competitiveness,” which
includes four key initiatives:
• provide leadership, technical, and
administrative support to help streamline
the nation’s building regulatory process
through the innovative use of information
technology;
• provide enhanced homeland security
for the built environment;
Commission, an interstate compact; and
• develop and implement additional
services to building officials and the
construction community.
Driving forces behind these initia-
tives are the need for secure databases;
reduced regulatory costs of construction
as well as faster and more consistent
regulation of factory-built structures;
expanded construction standards,
information technologies, and education
and training programs dealing with
homeland security against all types of
disasters; and broader communication
vehicles within the conference.
Members include governor-
appointed delegates from each state and
U.S. territory, state and local building
officials, architects, engineers, building
contractors, manufacturers, national
associations and corporations, insurance
organizations, and the private sector.
The conference was founded by
the nation’s governors in 1967 to help
represent their building code and public
safety concerns on the national
5
level.
 STANDARD
Prsrt Std

THE U.S. POSTAGE

PAID
Permit No. 171
St. Paul, MN
Minnesota’s newsletter for the building industry
THE BUILDING CODES AND STANDARDS DIVISION
MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATION
408 METRO SQUARE BUILDING • 121 7TH PLACE E. • ST. PAUL MN 55101
WEB SITE WWW.ADMIN.STATE.MN.US/BUILDINGCODES

VOICE (651) 296-4639 • FAX (651) 297-1973 • E-MAIL EDITOR MARY.WILLIAMS@STATE.MN.US • THIS NEWSLETTER IS AVAILABLE
IN ALTERNATIVE FORMATS TO INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES THROUGH THE MINNESOTA RELAY SERVICE AT 1-800-627-3529

CALENDAR Here’s new building official

Jan. 10 – Alexandria – State Building
Codes and Standards Division
presentation to BAM on products.
Contact Katie Liberko at (651) 646-
EXAMINATION SCHEDULE
The Education/Certification Section of the Building Codes and Standards
7959. Division has created its schedule for the next 29 examinations for certified
Jan. 9 - 17 – St. Paul – University of building official, certified building official – limited, and accessibility
Minnesota’s 47th Annual Institute specialist. For more information, contact Mike Fricke at (651) 205-4802 or
for Building Officials. Contact Rich Lockrem at (651) 205-4803.
Theresa Washington at (612) 624-
6225.
St. Paul Detroit Lakes Grand Rapids Mankato
OOPS! Feb. 1
March 22
May 10
Feb. 13
April 17
June 19
Jan. 3
March 5
May 8
Jan. 23
March 20
May 22
IN THE DECEMBER 2002 issue of
June 28 Aug. 21 July 10 July 24
the Standard, the lead story on
Aug. 16 Oct. 23 Sept. 11 Sept. 25
the surcharge reporting form
Oct. 4 Dec. 18 Nov. 13 Dec. 4
used the term “Chapter 13” Nov. 22 Feb. 20 (2004) Jan. 16 (2004) Feb. 6 (2004)
instead of “Chapter 1300.” The Jan. 10 (2004)
editor now knows another piece
of inside lingo.